scam
/ˈskæm/ noun, verb
Forms scams scamming scammed
- noun A fraudulent or dishonest deal. A swindle. “That marketing scheme looks like a scam to me.”
- noun Something that is promoted using scams. “That new diet burger is a scam.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To defraud or embezzle. “They tried to scam her out of her savings.”
- verb (slang) To seek out a partner for casual sex; to hit on.
Synonyms
deception imposition hype deceit dupery fiddle fetch hocus-pocus jugglery legerdemain list mislead prestidigitation Punic faith rinky-dink ruse sleight of hand subterfuge swack trickery cozenage victimize swindle rook goldbrick nobble diddle bunco defraud mulct
Etymology
US American carnival slang of uncertain origin. Possibly from scamp (“swindler, cheater”) or Irish cam (“crooked”). Also possibly from Danish skam; if so, it would be a doublet of shame and sham. First use appears c. 1963 in the periodical Time. The word became common use among the US drug culture when in early 1980, after Operation ABSCAM, an FBI sting operation directed at public officials, became public.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “scam”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details